CHAPTER XXV

CONTINUED ILLNESS: BASLE AGAIN: CARDINALATE DECLINED;

FINAL LETTERS

The year 1535 brought no amelioration to the physical condition of Erasmus. If we may rely on the testimony of George Sabinus, Melancthon's son-in-law, who had seen Erasmus at Freiburg, the now rapidly aging writer was declining visibly; and Sabinus adds that not only his eyes and the faculties of his body were deteriorating, but that the powers of his mind were failing.' So far the present writer has seen no change in his mental characteristics as evinced in his correspondence, except an increased querulousness and impatience, which is not to be wondered at when we remember his bodily sufferings and the sort of criticism to which he was subjected on so many sides. It is easy to find spots on the sun, and it is the easiest thing in the world to criticize; and certainly Peter Cursius, a Roman professor, had not nearly so justifiable grounds to censure Erasmus for his carelessness as Sepulveda had. Erasmus had been unfortunate in the choice of an adjective when speaking of the Italians in one of his adages, "Myconius Caluus," wherein he explained his meaning by adducing the phrase, "as if one were to call a Scythian learned, or an Italian bellicose," using for the latter adjective the Latin bellax. There is a fine distinction to be drawn, as Erasmus points out, between adjectives of this kind and the nouns from which they are derived; and he claimed that the term, as he had used it, signified not praise but blame, and cast no aspersion of military cowardice, the imputing of which to the Italian. people was the thing furthest from his mind. It was one of those vexatious matters which are only made worse by attempts at explanation; but Cursius thought fit to publish a pamphlet against Erasmus entitled Defensio Italiæ aduersus Erasmum, and had it dedicated to the new Pontiff, Paul III. Now Cursius was certainly in the wrong in this affair, and Erasmus had for once a good right to complain of such tactics, which he proceeded to do with all his old-time tartness:

You ought to be spending your time to better advantage than in attacking Erasmus, now a useless old man worn out with trouble, who is nothing else but an ass not entirely inert among the monkeys. However, those who insult me seem to be dogs in the manger, who would drive the cattle from the fodder by their mangy barking, but who cannot eat it themselves. Now, if I shall find out, which I scarcely expect, that you are publishing the least little item

1 See Melchior Adam's Life of Sabinus, in Vitæ Germanorum, Vol. I, p. 227. Frankfurt, 1615.

against me, you will feel, if I am not mistaken, that, though Erasmus is now seventy years old, he is neither toothless, nor has he lost his ability to scratch you. If, however, you are inclined to be fair, as I trust, you will deserve my thanks for warning me of the cowardice of those who are selling these pamphlets. . . . For the rest, we ought to take care that good literature does not suffer in the estimation of the unlettered on account of inane squabbles; for, unless we cease to wrangle on frivolous matters, not only will we be forced apart by being treated to rotten eggs at the hands of the promiscuous multitude, but shall be chained up in order to curb our mad fury. May the Great Ruler of all bring it about that with submissive hearts we may receive His grace, by whose protection we may be able to scatter the nefarious enemies of the Church. Farewell, and exhort those distinguished men, Genesius Sepulveda, and Augustine Eugubinus, to promote decaying learning rather than to become snarlers. Freiburg, January 9, 1535.*

His letters now become few and far between, and are mostly about himself, his troubles, and his enemies. He was very lonesome now, and tells a friend that Viandulus is dead, as also Martin David, both of whom were his hosts on occasion at Brussels. Peter Gilles of Antwerp is dead, as well as Francis Delfus; and the beloved Botzheim, to whom he had sent a complete catalogue of his works up to that time, with the manner in which he would desire to have them classified and printed, is also gone. In the same letter he complains:

Luther publishes nothing now in which he does not lash Erasmus, "the papist and adversary of Christ." The man is simply furious, and has conceived a homicidal hatred against me. But if I wish to live I must totally abstain from writing, yes, from all kinds of study, although to me it will not seem to be living without the company of the studious, amid these perpetual tortures of mine. But the Lord lives, in whose hands we all are.

Although hitherto he had always spoken of Freiburg in the highest terms, he now begins to fear that the air of that town was aggravating his ailments:

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The climate of this place has always seemed to disagree with my frail body, and even about the house itself, although it is elegant, I have my doubts. However, I am not very much concerned about the matter now, for I have lost all hope of ever being better, in this life anyway. Since boyhood I was of a delicate constitution, and of the slenderest frame (according to the doctors), so that inclement weather easily affected me; but the vigor of later years partly offset and partly overcame this inconvenience. Now, after not only my labors, but especially after my deadly struggles with the gravel, succeeded by these dire tormentings of every joint of my worn-out body, I am nothing but skin and bone; so that it is Eras. Ep. (LB) col. 1498A-C. • Ibid., col. 150ID-E.

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natural that the frailer my poor body daily becomes, the more readily I am affected by the changes of temperature. So it is evident that I am becoming so ethereal that I am better or worse with every condition of the atmosphere; but ills are the more easily borne when they are not to be lasting."

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He was suffering from that advanced form of rheumatism which is known as arthritis and is due to the deposit in the joints of waste material which the organs are no longer able to eliminate. The pain is intense in advanced cases and is utterly incapacitating. This became so bad before he finally left Freiburg that he was confined to his bed for a lengthened period. And yet, as Beatus Rhenanus tells us, as soon as the pain would in the least subside he would eagerly resume his writing. He spent his last winter at Freiburg in this remittent condition, but improved somewhat in the following spring, so that he was able to go to Basle, in a sort of litter, to superintend the printing of his Ecclesiastes. How sore his joints were, even then after he had partly recovered, we learn from an anecdote preserved for us by Melchior Adam in his Life of Oporinus. This man, who was a printer whose real name was Herbst, had sent him a present of some wine, and when they afterwards met they naturally shook hands.

Oporinus shook the hand of Erasmus quite vigorously, whereupon the latter . . . cried out loudly that he was hurting him. Oporinus was struck dumb, not knowing whether Erasmus was joking or not, which perceiving, Erasmus addressed him kindly, and ordering wine to be served up bade him be cheery. So Oporinus sat down with others of his friends of whom there were a great number assembled on account of the arrival of the great writer, and, while the cup went round the circle once or twice, he gradually came to himself and addressed Erasmus in a learned and grave oration which was worthy even of the eminent guest. They parted cherishing the spark of a mutual love which served to enkindle the flame of a true benevolence and kind regard for each other."

We have often drawn attention to this sort of fascination which Erasmus exercised over his friends in social converse; and this quality, which never left him entirely, was the secret of a good deal of his personal popularity. A man might just have arisen from a perusal of some of the writings of this great literary light feeling that with much of them he could not agree, but let him spend five minutes in the company of this suave, urbane, and brilliant man, and all his doubts were at once dispelled.

He had written to the new Pontiff to felicitate him on his accession to the Chair of Peter, and the Pope had replied very graciously, commenting favorably on the attitude of Erasmus towards the Church, and inviting him to take up his pen once more in her defense:

Ibid., col. 1511F-1512A.

See preface to Origen, which work Erasmus began but Rhenanus had to finish. Life of Oporinus, in Vitæ Germanorum, Vol. I, p. 248.

Beloved son, health and the Apostolic benediction. Your letter which our beloved Louis Ber, Canon at Basle, brought to us was most acceptable. For although it would have been pleasing to us for the sole reason that it came from you, whose celebrated name we have held in our affection, and by whose learning we have set great store, yet it was all the more so on account of the richness of its style and the gravity of its sentiments, its elegance, and its evident piety, all of which circumstances have made it most acceptable to us. For although you have manifested your good will in congratulating us, your kindness in praising us, and your prudence in exhorting us, you have still more endeared yourself to us by the piety which appears in your wishes for the tranquillity of the Holy Church, and your evident desire and prompt offer to serve her interests. We are well aware how much your excellent learning, to which is joined an equal eloquence, can avail in eradicating a leaning towards these current errors from the minds of many. This is the reason that, having already decided to do what you afterwards piously advised us to do, namely, that we should guard a certain moderation, apply ourselves entirely to the cause of the Faith, and devote ourselves to the reëstablishing of the tranquillity of the Church, we are filled with joy that a man of your known judgment and affection would give us counsels about what we ought to do, and that at the same time your advice cannot but contribute to our glory.... We shall be more properly and willingly grateful to you for this than for the congratulation and praise that you make personal to ourselves, although for these also we are in your debt. We share your eager wishes as we ought, separating them, however, from any merit of our own, which is naught, referring them all to the kindness of God alone; and, while grateful to Him for His goodness and desirous of accomplishing His will, we only hope that we may be equal to the burden laid upon us. For, although this our office has always been accompanied with anxiety and solicitude, but now especially in these days of ours carries with it toil and distress, yet must not the service of God be declined on that account, nor the office be less esteemed by reason of the difficulties and trials that are to be endured. We shall therefore go forward with alacrity to meet such difficulties, not relying on our own strength, but placing our hope in God that He will at length have compassion on His own, and will lead into the harbor the barque of Peter which we now command, which has been for so long the prey of the winds and waves, and will command them to be stilled. This, my son, is why we the more exhort you also, to whom God has granted such talents and learning, to aid us in this pious task for which you are so essentially well fitted, and to sustain with us by speech and writings the Catholic Faith both until the Council which, with the assistance of God, we intend to hold, and also during its continuance; and, by this last, and crowning, as it were, act of piety, you would worthily conclude a life passed in virtue, and your so numerous writings. Thus would you confound your calumniators and

summon to your side apologists; and although the reward that awaits you at God's hands will content you, yet you will not find ourselves either unmindful or ingrate. You will ascertain more fully our intentions in your behalf from the report of Louis Ber himself, whom for his own virtues and your commendations we have noted with pleasure. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, under the Fisherman's ring, May 31, in the year of Our Lord, 1535, and of our pontificate, the first."

And the Pope was as good as his word. There seems to be no doubt of his intention to make Erasmus a Cardinal, for we have it from too many different sources to allow us to question it. But to be a Prince of the Church in those days necessitated a large income, and to provide Erasmus with this the Pope set himself cordially to work. The usual way, and in fact the only way, in which this could be accomplished, was to endow the intended recipient of cardinalitial honors with a number of benefices or ecclesiastical livings, the revenue from which would suffice for him to maintain the state and character of a Prince of the Church. So the Pope gave him in a few weeks the first benefice along the lines proposed, accompanied by a Brief couched in the following

terms:

Beloved son: health and the Apostolic benediction. Being mindful of your probity and integrity and of your eminence in the various kinds of learning, as well as of your merits towards the Apostolic See in fighting with all your ability against the deserters of the Faith, we have gratefully conferred on you the provostship of [the Canons of] Deventer in the diocese of Utrecht, left vacant by the death of John Winkel of happy memory, which office is said to return a revenue of six hundred florins, so that you may already experience some reward for your virtue. Moreover, that the benefice may not be diminished by the delay and expense of settlement, we shall send to you our Apostolic letter immediately concerning these arrangements, being prepared to favor your virtue and erudition as also your judgment and intentions at every opportunity. Given at Rome at St. Mark's, under the Fisherman's ring, August 1, 1535.*

Some writers have intimated that the Pope had no intention of promoting Erasmus to the dignity of the Cardinalate, but that was not his own interpretation of the friendly offer of Paul III, for he expressly states this in his very amiable letter to Bartholomew Latomus :

I received a few days ago from Pope Paul III the most gracious and most honorable letter possible. . . . I had written to his Holiness by the advice of Louis Ber the famous theologian. Before the Pope had unsealed my letter he spoke of me in very honorable terms; and, since he had taken the resolution to promote to the Cardinalate some able men whom he might send to the Council soon Eras. Ep. (LB) col. 1500E-1501E. Eras. Ep. (EE) p. 262.